Brazil has one of the largest irrigated areas on the planet

A study released this week by the National Water Agency (ANA) shows that Brazil is among the ten countries with the largest irrigated area on the planet. The so-called Irrigation Atlas: water use in irrigated agriculture shows that the country has 6,95 million hectares (Mha) that produce food using different irrigation techniques.

The map considered data collected by the National Supply Company (Conab). The partnership between the two institutions has existed since 2015 and has just been renewed for another 30 months.

According to the survey, the region with the largest irrigated area is the Southeast, with 2.709.342 hectares (ha), followed by the South, 1.696.233, the Central-West, 1.183.974 and the Northeast, 1.171.159. The North Region, with 194.002 there are, comes last.

Irrigation plays a fundamental role in agriculture, as it contributes to stability and increased food supply, which reduces the population's risk of food and nutritional insecurity. Among the foods that are produced under a high percentage of irrigation are tomatoes, rice, peppers, onions, potatoes, garlic, fruits and vegetables.

 Following the formalization of the new Decentralized Execution Term (TED) between Conab and ANA, the areas cultivated with irrigated rice from the 2017/2018 harvest will be mapped in the states of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Paraná, Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul and Tocantins, and with coffee in Bahia, Goiás and the Federal District. This work will be carried out using satellite images and field measurements and will involve investments of around R$344,9.

 One of the institutions responsible for agricultural information in Brazil, Conab contributes to ANA studies through the constant use of new methodologies that guarantee agility and precision in information related to the harvest. These activities are carried out by Conab's Crop Survey and Assessment and Geotechnology areas, the latter responsible for developing technologies related to remote sensing, satellite positioning, geographic information systems and statistical, agrometeorological and spectral models applied to area and productivity estimates of the main agricultural crops.

 Click here to download the study.